PLAYING DISC GOLF

The aim of Disc Golf is much the same as golf, or mini-golf for that matter. Get through each hole doing as little as possible - in golf it's swinging a club, but in Disc Golf it's throwing a disc (save your "frisbee" for the beach, Disc Golf discs are a whole new beast).

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Your aim is to throw as few times as you can while getting from tee to the hole. Each hole has a par, which is the number of throws that your slightly-above-average player would take to get to the hole. Get below par and you've done really well - most players spend their time trying to get par or making sure they don't go too far over it.

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We've been talking about holes like it's golf, but Disc Golf doesn't actually have "holes" so to speak; we use a special basket laced with chains as our target. In many ways they are the signature of our sport - if you see one of them in a park you know you've found a Disc Golf course.

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You'll want to be aiming at the basket at all times. The loose chains on it will help slow your disc's momentum and if it comes to rest in the basket you're done for that hole. Tally up how many throws you had including your throw off the tee and that's your score for the hole. The disc has to come to rest in the basket though - if you hit the chains and your disc pops out onto the ground you'll need to throw again to try and get it to land in the basket.

That's  pretty much it for the rules. There's a whole universe of knowledge we could get into in terms of what certain discs can do, how the weather conditions effect your throw, and what certain types of throws can do. The best way to learn that is to get out, give it a try and join in with other players  - Social League is a great place to grow your game.

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That said, the "rules" rules of Disc Golf are only half of what Disc Golf is about - we at SCDGC believe that the most important rules in Disc Golf revolve around showing respect:

• respect for your fellow players (basically be nice)

• respect for your environment (leave the course in the same or better condition than you found it)

• respect for the wider community (if there's another park user anywhere near where you're throwing wait for them to move on. Likewise if your disc accidentally ends up in private property show courtesy and ask the residents before retrieving it - don't just jump a fence)

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If you want a bit of a head-start of what to expect when you start throwing discs see the videos below - they're a great intro for your Disc Golf journey.